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Matthew Shipp: Zero
by Jakob Baekgaard
Playing improvised solo piano is essentially a conundrum. Where do you start and when does a form emerge? Music begins as sounds and a composition could be the shaping of those sounds, but what about silence and the thing that comes before sound? Avantgarde-composer, John Cage, famously framed the sound of silence on his composition “4'33" to show that music is always happening, but in a very conceptual way. Pianist, improvisor and composer, Matthew Shipp, arrives at the same point ...
Continue ReadingMatthew Shipp: Not Bound
by Don Phipps
On Not Bound, pianist extraordinaire Matthew Shipp and his top-drawer rhythm section of Michael Bisio on bass and Whit Dickey on drums is joined by multi-instrumentalist Steve Carter in an exceptional tour de force of spontaneous music within a compositional framework. Each of the five tracks offers unique and exciting lyricism. “Soul Secrets" begins with a cool piano and flute intro that leads to a rumble. Bisio is quite active on the bass, even under the unhurried opening ...
Continue ReadingJakob Baekgaard's Best Releases of 2017
by Jakob Baekgaard
2017 was another good year for music and while there is much unrest in the world, it is a source of comfort that it is still possible to bring people together from different corners of the world to play and sing together. Here are twelve records that stood out for me. Matthew Shipp Piano Song Thirsty Ear Why? Matthew Shipp continues to define and redefine the piano with great respect for ...
Continue ReadingMatthew Shipp: Magnetism(s)
by John Sharpe
When originally issued back in 1999, pianist Matthew Shipp's Magnetism (Bleu Regard), uniting him with long standing soul mates bassist William Parker and saxophonist Rob Brown, stood as one of a series of fine dates by the pianist which included By The Law Of Music (Hat Art, 1997) and Strata (Hat Art, 1998). Like many of Shipp's albums of that period it comprises a sequence of short pieces which feature varying instrumentation. The Paris-based Rogue Art imprint has now reissued ...
Continue ReadingMatthew Shipp Trio at SFJAZZ
by Harry S. Pariser
Matt Shipp Trio SFJAZZ San Francisco, CA December 8, 2017 In this era, one where many of most popular musicians in the musical genre classified as “jazz" double as pop musicians, Matthew Shipp stands out. True to his craft since he moved to New York City in 1984, the 57-year-old Shipp has made innumerable recordings--solo, with a group, and as a sideman on dates with avant-garde legends David S. Ware and Roscoe Mitchell, as ...
Continue ReadingToxic: Mat Walerian/Matthew Shipp/William Parker: This Is Beautiful Because We Are Beautiful People
by Matthew Aquiline
Polish multi-instrumentalist Mat Walerian is on the verge of reserving his seat in the pantheon of groundbreaking hornmen who recorded for the late Bernard Stollman's storied ESP-Disk' label. Not as frenetic as Frank Wright, nor as strident as Sonny Simmons, Walerian instead boasts a singular approach that binds Eastern influence and blues sensibility with fluent, legato phrasing, often reminiscent of Marion Brown's lyrical finesse. His first two live recordings for ESP--The Uppercut: Live at Okuden (2015) with Matthew Shipp and ...
Continue ReadingMatthew Shipp: Invisible Touch At Taktlos Zurich
by Dan McClenaghan
Pianist Matthew Shipp is prolific. Under his own name and in collaboration with with numerous other free-thinking jazzers--saxophonist Ivo Perlman in the forefront of these--CD releases seem to pour out of him. His best under his own name comes in the trio/duo/solo format. Piano Sutras (Thirsty Ear, 2013); The Conduct Of Jazz (Thirsty Ear, 2013); Piano Song (Thirsty Ear, 2017); and a duo set with drummer Bobby Kapp, Cactus, (Northern Spy Records, 2016) attest to his artistic focus and excellence. ...
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